Shepherd Neame wins small visitor attraction of the year

Shepherd Neame brewery has won Small Visitor Attraction of the Year in the Beautiful South Awards and picked up Silver in the Flavour of the South East category.

The awards are organised by Tourism South East and celebrate the best in quality, innovation and service at tourism businesses across the region.

The brewery competed with a record number of entrants to scoop the award for Small Visitor Attraction of the Year which recognised its outstanding customer service, good presentation of information, accessibility and innovative marketing that has brought in new and repeat visitors.

The brewery also won Silver in the Flavour of the South East category, which recognises tourism businesses that produce distinctive regional food and drink or feature locally-grown products and offer an excellent visitor experience. Shepherd Neame was acknowledged for the provenance of its distinctively hoppy beers and the quality of its Visitor Centre and guided brewery tours.

The results were announced at an awards ceremony on Thursday 21 October at Mercedes-Benz World in Surrey. Visitor Centre manager Graham Hukins was delighted: “We are proud to have been recognised for our hard work and are constantly looking for ways to improve the experience for our customers. This is a great boost for the team especially when competing in such a large region.”

Shepherd Neame will now go on to represent the Beautiful South at the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence in April 2011.